Quick answer: A traveling worker on a flat lodging allowance keeps the gap between the allowance and what a site costs. At the federal standard rate of $110 a night, a $35–$39 full-hookup site at Homebound RV Parks leaves $70 or more a day, which works out to roughly $2,600 a month per worker on a monthly rate. A crew of ten on a 30-day job spends about $6,000–$7,000 at Homebound, against $33,000 or more in hotel rooms.
Key takeaways:
- The federal standard lodging per diem for FY 2026 is $110 a night. Sumter County (Bushnell) and Suwannee County (McAlpin) both use that standard rate.
- Homebound sites run $35–$39 a night, $225–$250 a week, and $595–$700 a month depending on the park and the season.
- Whether you personally keep the difference depends on how your employer pays. A flat daily allowance, yes. Receipt-based reimbursement, no. Either way the job saves money.
- Bushnell suits central Florida jobs on the I-75 corridor. McAlpin suits north Florida jobs near the I-75 and I-10 interchange.
- Crews of three or more should call the park directly so sites can be grouped together.
If your company hands you a lodging allowance and you spend all of it on a hotel, you are handing it straight back. Construction crews, power-line and utility crews, pipeline and plant contractors, and traveling healthcare workers have worked this out already: an RV site costs a fraction of a room, and in Florida the difference is large enough to change what a season of travel work is worth. This guide runs the real numbers for Homebound RV Parks in Bushnell and McAlpin, both on the I-75 corridor, and explains how to get a crew set up.
What is the lodging per diem in Florida right now?
$110 a night, unless the job is in one of Florida's listed high-cost areas. The U.S. General Services Administration sets the FY 2026 standard lodging rate at $110 and the standard meals-and-incidentals rate at $68 a day, effective October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026, per GSA Per Diem Bulletin FTR 26-01. Sumter County, where Homebound Bushnell sits, and Suwannee County, home to Homebound McAlpin, are not on Florida's list of non-standard areas, so the standard $110 applies to jobs near both parks.
Many private employers use the GSA table as their benchmark. Some pay more, some pay less, and some pay a single combined daily figure instead of splitting lodging from meals. Check your own rate. The math below scales to whatever number you are actually paid.
Do you actually get to keep the difference?
That depends on how your employer pays for lodging, so ask before you count on it. There are two common setups:
A flat daily allowance. You receive a fixed amount per day and decide where you sleep. Spend less than the allowance and the rest stays with you. This is the setup most traveling tradespeople mean when they say per diem, and it is where an RV site pays off directly.
Receipt-based reimbursement. You are paid back what you actually spent, up to a cap. Cheaper lodging does not land in your pocket, but it lands in the company's job budget instead. For a dispatcher booking ten rooms a night for a month, that is the same conversation from the other side of the desk.
Government travelers are reimbursed for actual lodging cost up to the published cap, and many private-sector plans work differently, so this is a question for your payroll or HR office, not a blog post. Whatever the answer, keep the receipt from the park for your records.
What does a Homebound site cost per night, week, and month?
Every rate below comes from the park's published rate tables. Bushnell's full table is on the Bushnell page and McAlpin's is on the McAlpin page.
- Bushnell: from $35 a night, from $225 a week, and $600–$700 a month depending on the season. An annual lease is $525 a month plus electric.
- McAlpin: $39 a night, $250 a week, and $595 a month, with electric included.
Taxes and fees apply at both parks. Veterans, Good Sam members, and Escapees and Harvest Hosts members can ask about member discounts.
Here is how that stacks up against a room, using the federal $110 lodging rate and the $150 a mid-range Florida hotel typically charges:
| Stay length | Homebound site | Hotel at the $110 federal rate | Mid-range hotel at $150 |
|---|---|---|---|
| One night | $35–$39 | $110 | $150 |
| One week | $225–$250 | $770 | $1,050 |
| One month | $595–$700 | $3,300 | $4,500 |
| Difference per month | — | $2,600–$2,705 | $3,800–$3,905 |
On a flat allowance, the bottom row is what one worker keeps every month. On a job that runs a full season, it is the price of a good used truck.
What does the math look like for a whole crew?
Take ten workers on a 30-day project. Hotel rooms cost $33,000 at the federal rate and $45,000 at $150 a night. Ten monthly sites at Homebound cost $5,950–$7,000. That is a difference of $26,000–$39,050 on a single job, before anyone counts the restaurant meals a hotel stay adds on top.
Even if only half the crew has rigs, the saving is well into five figures. That is why some contractors buy or rent travel trailers for their crews: at these numbers a trailer pays for itself within a season or two of steady travel work, and the crew gets a private space instead of a shared room.
What does $35 a night actually include?
A full-hookup site with 20/30/50-amp electric, water, and sewer, on your own pad, with your own front door. Beyond that, each park adds its own amenities:
- Bushnell has 124 full-hookup sites, an indoor heated pool, a clubhouse, laundry, showers, a convenience store, and complimentary Wi-Fi.
- McAlpin has oversized full-hookup sites, complimentary Wi-Fi, a fenced dog park, and a community gathering area.
Both parks are pet-friendly, and neither is age-restricted, so a mixed crew fits in without anyone asking questions. Long-term residents live at both parks year-round, which keeps them quiet, well-lit, and settled. Tools stay in the truck. You cook in your own kitchen instead of eating out, which turns part of the $68 daily meal allowance into savings as well.
Which Homebound park is closer to your job site?
Bushnell is in central Florida, in Sumter County, on the I-75 corridor about an hour from both Tampa and Orlando. It is the better base for jobs across central Florida and the I-4 corridor.
McAlpin is in north Florida, in Suwannee County, near the I-75 and I-10 interchange and about 45 minutes from Gainesville. It is the better base for jobs around Lake City, Live Oak, the Big Bend, and the Jacksonville side of the state.
Both parks sit on the same interstate, so a crew that moves between north and central Florida can keep the same setup at either end. The RV parks near I-75 page has the driving details for each.
How do you set a crew up at Homebound?
- Count the rigs. Note each unit's length and whether it needs 20, 30, or 50 amps. Every site at both parks has all three.
- Call the park with your dates and crew size. Bushnell is 352-793-1333 and McAlpin is 386-382-1330. Groups of three or more should call rather than book online so the office can group the sites.
- Pick the rate that fits the job. Weekly for short jobs, monthly for anything over 30 days. For a crew that returns to central Florida every year, a Bushnell annual lease at $525 a month makes a permanent home base.
- Or use the crew inquiry form. The workforce housing page has a form built for dispatchers and crew leads, with a reply on availability and pricing.
Frequently asked questions
Do traveling workers need their own RV to stay at Homebound? Yes. Homebound provides the full-hookup site; the worker or the employer provides the RV or travel trailer. Some contracting companies buy or rent trailers for their crews for exactly this reason.
Can Homebound take a whole crew at once? Bushnell has 124 full-hookup sites and McAlpin has oversized sites, so most crews fit. Call ahead with your dates and crew size so the office can hold sites together rather than scattering the crew across the park.
Are there weekly or monthly rates for crews? Yes. Weekly rates run $225–$250 and monthly rates run $595–$700 depending on the park and the season. Bushnell also offers an annual lease at $525 a month plus electric for crews that need a year-round base.
Does a per diem policy allow an RV park instead of a hotel? Most flat-allowance policies do not dictate where you sleep. Receipt-based policies usually just need an itemized receipt, so keep the one the park gives you. If your policy is unclear, ask payroll before the job starts rather than after.
What rules apply to work trucks and trailers at the park? The park rules cover vehicles, quiet hours, and pets. Read them before you arrive so the crew knows what to expect.
Ready to run the numbers for your own crew? The workforce housing page has the crew inquiry form and both parks' contact details. If you are comparing a hotel against an RV park for any kind of stay, not just work travel, the full RV park vs hotel cost comparison breaks it down line by line.
Sources: GSA Per Diem Bulletin FTR 26-01 (FY 2026 standard lodging and M&IE rates) · GSA FY 2026 per diem rates for Florida (non-standard areas list).